- As of Nov 4, 2026, 125 bond ETFs own 90% or more in U.S. Treasuries, and the median bond ETF has a duration of 4.3 years.
In plain words
A Treasury ETF owns bonds, notes and bills issued by the US government, so default risk is low. The risk that remains is interest rates: prices fall when rates rise.
ETFIQ finds 125 funds with 90% or more in Treasuries, from N-PORT filings. They differ most by duration: of 791 bond funds, 137 are under one year, 619 between one and ten and 35 ten years or more. A bill fund barely moves when rates change; a long fund can move a lot. Duration is dated on every bond fund page.
Questions
- Are Treasury ETFs risk free?
They carry little default risk. Prices still fall when rates rise, and the longer the duration, the more.
- What is duration?
A rule of thumb for how much a bond fund’s price changes when rates move 1 point.
- How does ETFIQ tell a fund is mostly Treasuries?
From the bonds it files, not from its name.